Cargando…

Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy

INTRODUCTION: Supportive care needs (SCN) refer to support required by patients and their families to better cope with cancer. Many rural radiation therapy (RT) patients stay away from home for significant periods, which can lead to the negative effects of both social isolation and cultural disparit...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Knibbs, Vanessa, Manley, Stephen
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9442298/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35373930
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmrs.578
_version_ 1784782782515380224
author Knibbs, Vanessa
Manley, Stephen
author_facet Knibbs, Vanessa
Manley, Stephen
author_sort Knibbs, Vanessa
collection PubMed
description INTRODUCTION: Supportive care needs (SCN) refer to support required by patients and their families to better cope with cancer. Many rural radiation therapy (RT) patients stay away from home for significant periods, which can lead to the negative effects of both social isolation and cultural disparity. They may demonstrate complex SCN. This study aimed to explore experiences of being away from home by considering patient perspectives of their own SCN. The objectives were to provide a deeper understanding of how these patients think and feel and present a foundation of patient‐centred insights for further research. METHODS: Thirteen patients participated in semi‐structured interviews; all stayed away from home for RT at the North Coast Cancer Institute for >3 days a week for >3 weeks. The data were subject to interpretive phenomenological analysis: a thorough process of understanding and analysis that is accompanied by reflection to improve researcher transparency. RESULTS: Two themes influenced patient experiences of their care: values and identity, and expectations. Patients discussed the value they place on rural life, community connections and health care and referred to information for managing expectations. SCN discussed fell into practical, physical and psycho‐social needs. CONCLUSIONS: Experiences of culturally appropriate patient‐centred supportive care improve control and confidence. Patient well‐being is influenced by compassionate, caring and respectful connections with others. Several practical ways of managing expectations and promoting the psycho‐social well‐being of patients are discussed, for example, tailored packing lists and easy access to green spaces. Future research can be shaped by lived experiences.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-9442298
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2022
publisher John Wiley and Sons Inc.
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-94422982022-09-09 Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy Knibbs, Vanessa Manley, Stephen J Med Radiat Sci Original Articles INTRODUCTION: Supportive care needs (SCN) refer to support required by patients and their families to better cope with cancer. Many rural radiation therapy (RT) patients stay away from home for significant periods, which can lead to the negative effects of both social isolation and cultural disparity. They may demonstrate complex SCN. This study aimed to explore experiences of being away from home by considering patient perspectives of their own SCN. The objectives were to provide a deeper understanding of how these patients think and feel and present a foundation of patient‐centred insights for further research. METHODS: Thirteen patients participated in semi‐structured interviews; all stayed away from home for RT at the North Coast Cancer Institute for >3 days a week for >3 weeks. The data were subject to interpretive phenomenological analysis: a thorough process of understanding and analysis that is accompanied by reflection to improve researcher transparency. RESULTS: Two themes influenced patient experiences of their care: values and identity, and expectations. Patients discussed the value they place on rural life, community connections and health care and referred to information for managing expectations. SCN discussed fell into practical, physical and psycho‐social needs. CONCLUSIONS: Experiences of culturally appropriate patient‐centred supportive care improve control and confidence. Patient well‐being is influenced by compassionate, caring and respectful connections with others. Several practical ways of managing expectations and promoting the psycho‐social well‐being of patients are discussed, for example, tailored packing lists and easy access to green spaces. Future research can be shaped by lived experiences. John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2022-04-04 2022-09 /pmc/articles/PMC9442298/ /pubmed/35373930 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmrs.578 Text en © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Original Articles
Knibbs, Vanessa
Manley, Stephen
Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy
title Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy
title_full Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy
title_fullStr Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy
title_full_unstemmed Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy
title_short Being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy
title_sort being away from home for cancer treatment: a qualitative study of patient experience and supportive care needs during radiation therapy
topic Original Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9442298/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35373930
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmrs.578
work_keys_str_mv AT knibbsvanessa beingawayfromhomeforcancertreatmentaqualitativestudyofpatientexperienceandsupportivecareneedsduringradiationtherapy
AT manleystephen beingawayfromhomeforcancertreatmentaqualitativestudyofpatientexperienceandsupportivecareneedsduringradiationtherapy